unknown mortal orchestra goes R&B (whilst I dream of cheese)

Last night, I had a rather strange, mundane dream. Unlike traditional narratives, it unfolded backwards, or, at least in the logic of most dreams, I worked to unravel the beginning from the end. I found myself in front of my refrigerator (old school kind, not the modern fancy ones) with a bag of groceries. I started unpacking them and found myself setting out blocks of cheese in all varieties from your simple sharp cheddar to Gouda to a rather stinky Roquefort (I do prefer this kind). None of this is ostensibly disalarming until the moment I realize that I’ve purchased an unhealthy amount of cheese. But wait, I already had a rather healthy drawer of said cheese at the ready. I kept wondering what possessed, inspired, or led me to stockpile this much dairy in my icebox? Was there some sale? Did I get hoodwinked or enchanted by a clever salesperson? I imagined various scenarios wherein the large quantities of sundry fromage might make any logical sense.

A Mac ‘n Cheese potluck?

A Dairyland-themed cocktail party that I couldn’t recall?

A mule in an underground resale market of high-end cheese?

None of these struck a chord. Why had I been so reckless, both fiscally (e.g., it couldn’t have been a cheap purchase) and physically (e.g., eating that much cheese can’t be good for you)? After some further but unfruitful dream deliberation, I realized I was mostly worried I wouldn’t be able to consume all the cheese before it went bad. I then proceeded to another unremembered dream.

What does it all mean?

….So good at being in trouble, so bad at being in love.

Okay, so what do dreams of excessive quantities of cheese and Unknown Mortal Orchestra have in common? On its face, very little. But, on second thought, the first single from UMO’s forthcoming album II is a surreal dream of the everyday variety that lulls one into otherworldly thoughts. With little background knowledge of UMO, I’ve always appreciated their name and aesthetic, it feels something out of an Italian Futurist imagination. However, on “So Good At Being in Trouble” they are decidedly backwards looking and I’m totally on board. (The promo shots also look like they have joined the Polyphonic Spree or are auditioning to be jawas.) Let the afternoon slip into the evening on this cool number below.

For more on Unknown Mortal Orchetra’s II, go to Jagjaguawr’s website here.

Back tomorrow. Perhaps I’ll unravel the cheese conundrum in the interim.

a.a.

a.a.’s Note: I do not in fact have that much cheese in my refrigerator. But I did check first thing in the a.m. just to be certain.